Dan was born in LaJunta,CO on June 21,1945.He passed peacefully in his home in Auburn,Ca. on April 6,2020.
He was a loving husband to his wife, Denise Finch, father to his son Patrick Jorgensen, brother to John, brother in law to Joanie Jorgensen, stepfather to Frances,George,Clara,and Louis Tobin, uncle to Kyle Jorgensen.Dan was/is a beloved dharma and meditation teacher to his friends, students, and colleagues.

Dan had a varied and eclectic life. The son of an Air  Force chaplain,he traveled extensively as a young man with his family. His time in graduate school at University of Chicago was cut short when he was drafted for the Vietnam war, and he served a conscientious objector. Upon discharge, he traveled overland from Germany to Thailand. He also lived for a time in the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains around North Lake Tahoe.After Lake Tahoe, he moved to the Bay Area and met his first wife, Sybil Shane, and they had a son, Patrick. Through a series of events, Dan met his main Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Kalu Rinpoche, in 1974. This meeting and subsequent teacher-student relationship was a transformative period for Dan. He lived on and off in India and in spiritual community in San Francisco, and completed the traditional three year, three month retreat in 1989.

Dan was drawn to helping people  - he trained and worked as a Marriage and Family therapist in both public and private practice. Later he became interested in the therapeutic benefits of neurofeedback, and with his friend and colleague Claudia Hansson  he founded Sierra Mental Fitness, working with adults and children with depression,anxiety,and ADHD. With Claudia he went on to found Clear Mountain Wisdom, applying the core and esoteric teachings of Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhism. Together Dan and Claudia went on to conduct group meditation retreats,emphasizing direct experience of the more esoteric aspects of Tibetan Buddhism, while maintaining the integrity of the teachings and lineage. Dan also worked with students individually, applying these principles.

In all things, Dan had an innate intellectual curiousity and sense of adventure.He loved the Sierra foothills where he spent many hours hiking the trails near his home. Another area he felt drawn to was the great Southwest, especially the Four Corners and high desert areas, anyplace with "big sky" for gazing. His travels in his pop-up camper took him to remote and beautiful areas of California and the Southwest. Photography was another passion, and  he documented his domestic and international travels with great beauty and precision.

Dan's compassion for others was felt by all. Quiet and calm, yet intensely curious and open to experience, his unique self will be missed by all who were touched by him.The love and respect we have for him will live, on, however, and in that way he will always be with us.